The Egyptian Book of the Dead

The Egyptian Book of the Dead

1240 BC

Translated by E.A Wallis Budge and Allen Faulkner

The Book of the Dead refers to a group of magical spells that were written on papyrus or tombs, meant to insure safe journey of the dead to the other side or the underworld. Some of the texts or the vignettes can be found on the wall of tombs or written on papyrus. The original text consisted of Hymns (as in the Hymn to Osiris1), they were supposed to be called the king of the underworld for the decision of the soul. The texts/plates were divided into different spells and chapters, no one papyrus contained all these things together. Different spells had different purpose. It is said that spells were used to give the dead person the power to control his body and keep it safe after his death; some allowed them to turn into different animals allowing them to travel from the underworld to the real world. Few of the spells used by the Egyptians were –

For Funerary

"A Shabti spell. First attested as Spell 472 of the Coffin Texts. The text of the spell reads: Spell for causing a Shabti to do work for a man in the realm of the dead "O Shabti, allotted to me, if I be summoned or if I be detailed to do any work which has to be done in the realm of the dead, if indeed any obstacles are implanted for you therewith as a man at his duties, you shall detail yourself for me on every occasion of making arable the fields, of flooding the banks or of conveying sand from east to west; 'Here I am', you shall say" " – (Book of the Death , work of Karl Richard Lepsius)

For Navigating the Underworld

Spell 98:- "Allowed the deceased to use ferryboats in the Underworld" – (Book of the Death, work of Karl Richard Lepsius)

For Protection from Peril

Spell 31:- "To stop the dead being harmed by crocodiles in the afterlife"-(Book of the Death, work of Karl Richard Lepsius)

Spell 182 seemed to play a very significant or important role because it was said to give rebirth to Osiris on behalf of Thoth. The role of Thoth in the spell 182 can be given by the evident from the longest version of the title –

"Book for the permanence of Osiris, giving breath to the Inert One in the presence of Thoth, warding off the enemy of Osiris, who comes yonder in his appearances, protecting, sheltering and guarding in the necropolis, which Thoth himself made, so that the light of the sun rests on him every day" – (The Book of the Dead, work of Rita Lucarelli)

Early examples of these spells were found on the mummy cloths and coffins. The early